4 Ideas to Spice Up Your Fourth

Perhaps your 4th of July plans include the timeless tradition of the 4th of July parade, alive with the best Americana has to offer. Or, the classic picnic with friends and family, complete with burgers, brats, beer and pickup baseball. You’re all set to have a memorable 4th, but would welcome fresh ideas to help imbed the meaning behind the holiday glam for your kids. To help bring home the significance of our nation’s Independence Day, here are four broad categories with ideas (ranging from silly to serious in no particular order) to help infuse a deeper appreciation in your children for the good ole USA.

READ

Ok, you may be thinking, but it’s the 4th of July and there’s little to no time for anyone to read. Except, that you may have kids that need a bit of downtime before the festivities begin. Or, you may be faced with time in the car on the road. If you can fold in a bit of reading on the 4th, consider these four titles, ranging from picture-book happy-snappy-easy, to chapter-book intermediate:

John Paul George and Ben (“Once there were four lads…John [Hancock], Paul [Revere], George [Washington] and Ben [Franklin].) by Lane Smith.

The Declaration of Independence: ‘Quit Bossing Us Around!’ by Carole Marsh

Phoebe the Spy by Judith Griffin

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

SING

Why not create a 4th of July playlist to enjoy around the pool in the backyard, in the car en route to the parade or to enliven your picnic? Four must-have selections:

The Star-Spangled Banner, Whitney Houston

The Stars and Stripes Forever, John Philip Sousa

Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen

America, Neil Diamond

Or, watch a musical or movie/video with a soundtrack rife with memorable songs purposely created to replay in your brain, forever! Here are four:

An American Tail

1776

Schoolhouse Rock, The Preamble of the Constitution

Independence Day (Psst: Parents, with aliens involved, this would be for your older kids but even so, use discretion.)

CREATE

Review the design of the American flag, replete with thirteen stripes and originally, thirteen stars. Remind them that the number of stars increased as we grew from thirteen colonies to fifty states, and that the star symbolized the heavens and people’s aspiring goals, the stripe represented the ray of light cast from the sun. The colors offer symbolism as well, with white = purity, red = valor,and blue = justice. Now pivot quickly off the history lesson and challenge your kids to create their own flag, explaining that it should represent who they are or want to become, or what they’re interested in. And bonus, while they’re working out their personal flag design, surprise them by playing Veggie Tales’ It’s a Grand Old Flag rendition in the background. I bet you’ll get a few chuckles.

If stuck, encourage your kiddos to complete these four statements to trigger their creativity:

PARTY

It goes without saying that kids are hands-on creatures. Naturally, they’d love more than anything to actively participate in a fireworks display. It’s equally true, though, that fireworks are dangerous. It simply can’t be over-stated that kids should never have access to fireworks unless under close adult supervision. Bearing that in mind, here are four safe firework novelties to enjoy with your kids:

Sparklers (age 7+): Insert the sparkler stick into the base of a plastic cup so that your child can hold the showy, sizzling sparkler underneath the protection of the cup.

Booby traps and glow worms: With booby traps, you simple pull a string to create the friction to elicit a popping sound. The glow worm requires lighting, resulting in glow-like ash and then, bam, colorful smoke.

Firecrackers, roman candles, rockets and aerial shells should only be used by older teens or adults.

Insider tip: Just play it safe. Always.

As you revisit past 4th of July photos of the kids at the parade, adorned with their iconic Old Navy 4th-of-July T-shirts and drinking A&W root beer through red-white-and-blue curly star-shaped straws, the Americana nostalgia is strong. Here’s to spicing things up a notch, and making the meaning behind the fanfare just as significant.

Kathryn Streeter writes for Houston Family Magazine. Find her on Twitter, @streeterkathryn.

Event Details

The traveling exhibition Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture, has made its way to Houston for the first time, at The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science. Organized by

Event Details

The traveling exhibition Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture, has made its way to Houston for the first time, at The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science. Organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture explores the complex and intricate food system that brings what we eat from farm to fork and considers how producers in the future might feed the Earth’s growing population. This exhibition will include digital interactives, dioramas, and striking models.

Large-format and interactive displays bring to life important global and cultural food ecosystems that affect our day-to-day relationship with food. The diets of iconic figures such as Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and activist Mahatma Gandhi are also displayed as part of this exhibition, which will be at The Health Museum – Houston’s most interactive science and health learning center – from June 1, 2019 through October 20, 2019.

General admission to The Health Museum is free for children two and under; $8 for children 3 to 12 years old and seniors 65 and above; $10 for adults; and free on Thursdays for families. Active and retired personnel receive half-off admission for up to four people. General admission also provides access to the museum’s multiple exhibits. For more information about The Health Museum visit thehealthmuseum.org.

Time

June 1 (Saturday) 9:00 am - October 20 (Sunday) 5:00 pm

Location

Ages

All ages

Price

General admission to The Health Museum is free for children two and under; $8 for children 3 to 12 years old and seniors 65 and above; $10 for adults; and free on Thursdays for families. Active and retired personnel receive half-off admission for up to four people. General admission also provides access to the museum’s multiple exhibits.

Event Details

Sawyer Flea is back! Join us every Sunday starting, Sept 8th from 9am - 1pm on the corner of Sawyer and Edwards for a unique outdoor market featuring artisan foods

Event Details

Sawyer Flea is back! Join us every Sunday starting, Sept 8th from 9am – 1pm on the corner of Sawyer and Edwards for a unique outdoor market featuring artisan foods and artisan goods. Bring the whole family including your four legged furry friend.